


Grace and Karen Belong Together

by MA2020



Category: Will & Grace
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 02:40:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29428947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MA2020/pseuds/MA2020
Summary: This happens during Girls Night at Grace’s place in Brooklyn. Grace is supposed to be having one last hurrah before Leo returns from Africa
Relationships: Grace Adler/Karen Walker
Comments: 4
Kudos: 10





	Grace and Karen Belong Together

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to Lemy and Foxxay for the affirmations. Much appreciated.
> 
> Thank you to QueenofQuiet17 for helping save me last November. Grateful.
> 
> Happy Valentine's Day to everyone. Stay Safe.
> 
> This Fanfic is set during Season 5 Episode 16  
> “Women and Children First” ...
> 
> Leo calls Grace while the latter is holding Girls Night at their home, to say that he won’t be coming home for another five weeks ... Her four guests Karen, Rosario, Ellen and Julie try to make Grace feel better ... Grace and Karen have a disagreement which results in Karen leaving Grace’s home, very much upset with Grace ... Karen eventually returns to Grace’s home, finding Grace in her bedroom, on the phone with Leo. Grace chose to take Karen’s advice, despite their earlier disagreement, and was on the phone with Leo, being honest about being upset with him ... After Grace and Leo hang up, Karen sweetly suggests to Grace to maybe allow Karen to help her more, because Karen cares about Grace ... As they exit Grace’s bedroom to rejoin the others in the living room, Karen jokes about getting the ladies’ tops off ...

After Karen closes the door to Grace’s bedroom, she turns to find Grace standing in the middle of the corridor, waiting for her.

Karen takes Grace’s hand and leads her downstairs to rejoin the others.

Rosario, Julie and Ellen are seated in the living room, in the same exact seats they occupied earlier, when Karen left in a huff.

The group eye Grace and Karen warily, trying to gauge if the two had patched things up ... Seeing Grace’s and Karen’s fingers intertwined as they descended the stairs, all three exhale, sighs of relief noisily exiting their nostrils and mouths. They then revert to looking bored out of their minds.

They all look up obediently as Karen and Grace approach them. 

“C’mon Now!” Karen says forcefully, impatient to shake off the gloom Leon had irritatingly cast over Gracie, and the rest of the ladies.

“Time to get this party started!”

She takes her former seat on the sofa and bullies Rosario.

“Why don’t you go waddle off to the kitchen and see if ya can rustle us up some grub?”

Pissed, Rosario quips.

“Anything you say, Drunken Shrew.”

As Rosario waddles off to the kitchen, Karen smacks the empty armchair seat Rosario had just vacated several times. She motions to Grace.

“Ya come sit here beside me, Red.”

Grace, on autopilot, moves to robotically follow Karen’s authoritative voice.

Karen takes out four shot glasses from her blazer pocket and slams them one after the other, on the coffee table, all in a nice, neat, bartender-like row.

“Let’s Play! We’ll drink for perks. Whoever finishes her shot first, and puts the empty glass back on the coffee table, gets to have her beastly way with anyone else in the group!”

“Not a drop of liquor left, ya hear!”

Ellen looks at Karen as if Karen is nuts.

Julie eyes Karen, trying to size her up, trying to gauge if Karen is serious. Then Julie’s calculating gaze travels over to Grace, innocently sitting in her armchair, a faraway look on her face.

Julie is interested.

“I’m in.” Julie says.

Grace, looking up upon hearing Julie’s voice, lets her eyes travel, looking at each of her three friends, and shrugs her shoulders. She’s still a bit distracted from her earlier phone conversation with Leo.

“Yeah. Whatever. I’ll play.” Grace gives her affirmative vote.

“Great! Let the FUN begin!” Karen declares excitedly ...

About a half dozen slams of the four shot glasses on the coffee table later, the energy is anything but festive.

Julie’s lips are curled in distaste, unable to hide her disappointment at not being able to get anywhere near Grace. She actually won once, only to have Karen’s palm slam suddenly, noisily on the coffee table, as Karen’s arm swiftly & effectively blocks Julie, who had started to lean towards Grace’s direction. Karen looks straight at Julie, and savagely says, with a deceptively calm look in her perfectly shaped eyes:

“Nuh uh. This one’s mine. Get your own redhead.”

Karen lifts her chin and jerks it towards Ellen’s direction. 

Of course Julie backs down immediately and mutters,

“Forget it. I was just kidding.”

Cut to Ellen:

Ellen’s eyes are about to pop out of their sockets. She doesn’t know if she should be this flabbergasted at seeing Karen effectively fence Grace in, as if she were some prized animal.

Ellen should’ve known.

Karen Walker always wins.

As Ellen earnestly looks at her best friend’s face, Grace’s expression is neutral. Grace is so used to kissing Karen, and being kissed by Karen, that it doesn’t enter her mind that Ellen would be shocked out of her wits.

Only Karen is in a jovial mood.

Karen’s head is bobbing merrily , tipping her head left, tipping her head right, very pleased with herself. She’s bouncing up and down in her seat.

She has managed to kiss Grace half a dozen times on the lips. Maybe more. Maybe there was tongue in there somewhere, those last two kisses. Yum. She smiles to herself. This is fun.

“Look ...” Julie says, resigned.

“I gotta go. My husband is waiting for me to unlock our front door. And as much as it gives me joy to make him wait outside for hours, I think I’ll give him a break tonight.” Julie stands up to leave.

Ellen eyes her best friend, not sure what to do. She is shocked at how normal Grace is taking all this. Like it’s an everyday occurence. Honestly, she has lost count as to how many times Karen kissed Grace. Karen took more than one swipe in a couple of her turns, sometimes leaning in again to catch Grace off guard, claiming another quick kiss.

Karen acts as if she owns Grace. And Grace just sits there and lets Karen do what she wants.

“Grace? Are you going to be ok? I think I should be heading home too.”

Grace looks up at Ellen as she hears her name, her demeanor clearly showing that half her mind is elsewhere.

“Yeah, Ellen. Go ahead. I’m fine.” She lets a small smile escape her lips, taking in Ellen’s worried look. Grace looks at Ellen, then moves her gaze to Karen, who is still happily bobbing in her seat, filling up the shot glasses again, then lets her gaze slide back to Ellen.

“I’m fine.” Grace repeats, more firmly. For Ellen’s benefit. 

Ellen takes one last discerning look at Grace, then exhales in resignation. She looks at Karen, and shrugs her shoulder. Grace can handle Karen. She’s sure of it. Well, almost.

Grace escorts the two out the main door, thanking them for a lovely time. Karen hollers her goodbyes to the two, still seated.

After Grace closes the door to her apartment, she turns to see Karen settling into the sofa, trying to get comfortable. The shot glasses have miraculously disappeared, and Karen is placing her legs and feet up the coffee table. Karen motions for Grace to come to her, patting the space on the sofa next to her.

“Are you staying?” Grace lets a smile form in her lips as she looks at her assistant, gratitude and relief in Grace's eyes. And a bit of amusement as she watches her assistant trying to make herself comfortable in Grace’s not-so-comfy sofa.

“What’s it look like, Red?” Karen impatiently answers.

Grace looks around the living room.

“How’s Rosario getting home?”

Karen looks at Grace from her uncomfortable seat, her brows furrowing, impatient with Grace’s small talk. She wrinkles her nose and says, exasperated:

“Don’t cha worry about Rosario. I laid out a trail of breadcrumbs from your doorstep all the way to the Manse. Let her peck her way home.” Karen snorts for good measure. 

“Now, Gracie. Come sit here beside me and quit worrying about everybody else.”

Grace automatically walks to where Karen is patting the sofa seat. She sits down beside Karen, burrowing into Karen’s arms, placing her head on Karen’s shoulder, wrapping her arms around Karen’s waist. She wriggles her body, trying to get comfortable.

Karen’s arms go around Grace, enveloping her into their warmth, wishing only to ease Grace’s sadness and disappointment.

“Thanks for staying with me.” Grace whispers softly, her head nestled against Karen’s shoulder. Grace reaches for Karen’s hand resting on her lap. She lets her fingers intertwine with Karen’s, weaving them in and out each other, feeling the softness of Karen’s fingertips against hers.

Karen, with her head resting against the sofa’s backrest already, eyes shut, exhales deeply and answers.

“I can’t leave ya in this state, Grace. I’m not Leon.”

Grace smiles a sad, sweet smile, a tear trickles down her cheek. She wipes it away and closes her eyes.

Karen’s arms instinctively tighten their hold around Grace as she feels Grace in tears, letting one of her hands slowly rub up and down Grace’s upper arm.

“Get some sleep, Honey. It will all be better in the morning. I promise.”...

Rosario’s head pokes into the living room, resembling a stealthy spy from a James Bond novel. Peering from the top of the staircase, she looks at the two heads sweetly stuck together, peeping atop the back of the sofa.

She’s been cleaning Grace’s bedroom. The layer of filth was unbelievable.

A small smile forms on Rosario’s lips as she continues to watch Miss Karen and Grace, asleep on the sofa.

Rosario goes back to the bedroom to get a blanket.

She tiptoes down the stairs, quiet as a mouse, and heads to where Karen and Grace are, still sound asleep.

As Rosario gazes at the two on the sofa, a soft, ethereal smile forms in her lips. 

Miss Karen and Grace look so peaceful together, serenely wrapped in each other’s arms.

Rosario carefully places the blanket over Miss Karen and Grace. She’s careful not to wake them up.

As she straightens to look at her handiwork, a thought crosses her mind.

They really look like they belong together.

Rosario quietly lets herself out the main door, making sure to hear the door click shut.

Now where are those breadcrumbs Miss Karen was talking about? Rosario is hoping there are turkey bits interlaced with those crumbs.


End file.
